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Saturday, April 30, 2005

Next year, Saigon, again 

There are still a few outposts of tyranny left:
"Thousands of Vietnamese took to the streets of Ho Chi Minh city to celebrate 30 years since the communist victory that ended what is known as the 'American War.'

"On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled into what was then called Saigon -- the capital of U.S.-backed South Vietnam."
But is one of the last few remaining communist regimes in the world perhaps getting a bit soft in the old age?
"Vietnam baked a four-ton cake for more than 1,000 Liberation Day babies and breaking with the military ceremonies of the past, the nation staged a parade without a real tank in sight...

"Concerned that too visible a show of 'triumphalism' could harm crucial economic ties with the United States, now Vietnam's biggest trading partner, Hanoi made sure this year's celebrations were as much about the future as the past...

"In a testament to a surging economy, many shops advertised anniversary sales offering '30 percent off on the 30th'."
That's the beautiful thing about fighting a liberal free-market democracy like the United States - even if you win, you lose.

Another report added: "Three decades after the last U.S. helicopters left a city once known as Saigon, a parade marking the communist victory featured logos of American Express and MasterCard, and the nation's president touted the country as a great place for overseas investors to do business."

Or as MasterCard would say:

Ejecting American imperialists out of the country: 2 million dead

Building communist utopia: 1 million refugees, hundreds of thousands of "reeducated" political prisoners, basic human rights suppressed, economy ruined while the rest of Asia is thriving

Admitting after three decades that your stupid communist policies have failed and the experiment is just about over: priceless.

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